The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-15
BIG0TRY A BIG MONSTER.
TALMAGE DRAGS ITFROMITS CAVE
AND RIPS OFF ITS HIDE.

THE HAMPToNs, Aug 14-To-day the
Rev. 7. De Witt Talmage's sermon is "Con-
corning the Bigots, and the text '"Then, said
they unto him, Say now, Shibboleth and
he said Sibboleth, for he could not frame to
pronounce it right. Then they took him
and slew him at the passages of Jordan. ~
judges xii, 6.
Do you notice the difference of pronuncia-
ton between shibboleth and sibboleth? A
very small and unimportant difference, you
say. And yet, that difference was the diff
ference between life and death for great
many people. The Lords people, Gilead
and Ephraim, got into great fight and
Ephraim was worsted, and on the retreat
came to the fords of the river Jordan to
cross. Order was given that all Ephraimites
coming there be slain. But how could it be
found out who were Ephraimites! They
were detected by their pronunciation.
Shlbboleth was word that
stood for river The Ephraimites had a
brogue of their own, and when they tried tc
say shibboleth always left out the sound of
the "h." When it was asked that they
say shibboleth they said sibboleth and
were slain. Then said they unto hlnl,
say llOW nlllDpOlebn' anu ne stilu olbDOlebl
for he could not frame to pronounce il
right Then they took him and slew him at
the passages of Jordan" A very small diff
ference, you say, between Gilead and
Ephraim, and yet how much intolerance
about that small difference! The Lords
tribes in our time-by which mean the diff
ferent denominations of Christians-some-
times magnify very small difference, and
the only difference between scores of de-
nominations to-day is the difference between
shibboleth and sibboleth
The church of God is divided into a great
number of denominations Time would fail
me to tell of the Calvinists, and the Armin-
ians, and the Sabbatarians, and the Baxter
lans, and the Dunkers, and the Shakers,
and the Quakers. and the Methodists, and
the BaptiSts, and the Episcopalians and the
Lutherans, and the Congregationalists. and
the Presbyterians, and the Spiritualists,
and score of other denominations of re-
ligionists, some of them founded by very
good men, some of them founded by very
egotistic men, and some of them founded by
very bad men. But as | demand for my
self liberty of conscience, must give that
same liberty to every other man, remem-
bering that he no more differs from me
than differ from him. | advocate the
largest liberty i'll all religious belief and
form of worship. In art, i'll politics, in
morals, and in religion let there be no gag
law, no moving of the previous question, no
persecution, no intolerance.
You know that the air and the water
keep pure by constant circulation, and
think there is a tendency in religious discus
sion to publication and moral health. Be
tween the fourth and the sixteenth centll-
ries the Church proposed to make people
think Alright by prohibiting discussion and
by strong censorship Of the press, and by
rack, and by gibbet, and hot lead down the
throat, tried to make people orthodox; but
it was discovered that you cannot change a
mans belief by twisting off his head, and
that you cannot make a man see things diff
ferently byputting an awl through his eyes.
There is something in mans conscience
which will hurl off the mountain that you
threw upon it, and, unsinged of the fire, out
of the flame Will make red wings on which
the martyr will mount to glory.
In that time of which | speak, between
the fourth and sixteenth centuries, people
went from the house of God into the most
appalling iniquity, and right along by con-
secrated affairs there We're tides of drunken
ness and licentiousness such as the world
never heard of, and the very sewers of per-
dition broke loose and flooded the church.
After a while the printing-press was freed,
and it broke the shackleS of the human
mind. Then there came a large number of
bad books, but where there was one man
hostile to the Christian religion there were
twenty men ready to advocate it; so have
not any nervousness in regard TO this battle
going on between truth and error
The truth will conquer just as certainly as
that God is stronger than the devil. Let
error run if you only let truth run along
with it. Urged on by skeptic's shout and
trancendentalist's spur let it run. Gods
angels of wrath are in hot pursuit, and
quicker than eagles beak clutches out a
hawks heart, Gods vengeance will tear it
to pieces.
propose this morning to speak to you of
sectarianism-its origin, its evils, and its
cures. There are those who would make us
think that this monster, with horns and
hoofs is religion shall chase it to its
hiding place, and drag it out of the caverns
of darkness, and rip off its hide But
want to make distinction between bigotry
and the lawful fondness for peculiar reli-
gious beliefs and forms Of worship. l have
no admiration for a nothingarim.
In world of such tremendous vicissitude
and temptation, and with a soul that must
after while stand before q throne of in
sufferable brightness in n day when the
rocking of the mountains and the flaming of
the heavens and the upheaval of the sea
shall be among the least of the excitements,
to give account for every thought, word,
action. preference, and dislike-that man is
mad who has no religious preference. But
our early education, our physical tempera-
ment, our mental constitution, will very
much decide our form of worship.
A style of psalmoIy that may please me
may dispease you. Some would like to
have a minister in gown, and bands, and
surplice, and others prefer TO have minis
ter in plain citizens apparel Some are
more impressed when a little child is pre-
sented at the altar and sprinkled of the wa
ters Of holy benediction Sin the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and Of the Holy
Ghost . and others are more impressed when
the penitent comes up out of the river his
garments dripping with the waters of n
baptism which signifies the washing away
of sin. Let either have his own way. One
man likes no noise in prayer, not a word,
not whisper. Another man just as good,
prefers by gcsticulation and exclamation 10
express his devotional aspirations. One is
Just as good az the other Every man fully
persuaded in his own mind.n
George Whitefield was going over a QUA
ker rather roughly for some of his religious
sentiments, and the Quaker said: George,
/ am as thou art; am for bringing all men
TO the hope Of the Gospel; therefore, if thou
will not quarrel with me about my broad
brim, win not quarrel with thee about thy
black gown. George, give me thy hand. !"
l. In tracing out the religion Of sectarian-
ism, or bigotry, find thnt great deal Of
il comes from wrong education IN the home
circle. There are parents who do not think
IL wrong to caricature and ieer the peculiar
forms of religion in the world, and denounce
other sects and other denominations. It is
,yarx, f,ftan the faea fhat that Kind Of adnca-